Microsoft talks improvements coming to Edge browser in 2016

Microsoft has taken to a new blog post to describe improvements it is planning for the Edge browser and EdgeHTML, the engine that powers the browser, in 2016. A number of areas that the team discusses have been laid out before, but there are some interesting areas of note for developers. For example, there are a number of ways Microsoft is looking to improve the accessibility features of the engine in 2016, including:

Modernize our accessibility system to support HTML5 and CSS3 on Windows 10.

Enable HTML and Core Accessibility API mappings.

Provide Accessible Name and Description computation and API mappings.

Add accessible HTML5 controls and new semantic elements.

Improve high contrast support.

Modernize caret browsing and new input modalities.

Improve visual impairment readability, focus, and selection.

Deliver developer tools for building and testing accessible sites.

Likewise, Microsoft says it is working on areas of general fundamental changes that should improve performance, including isolating Adobe Flash as a separate process and pausing unnecessary content, better keyboard and scrolling performance and more. The company also says that extension support is well underway, with the intention

Finally, the team says it is working hard to implement a host new web standards into the browser's engine. One of particular interest is the FIDO 2.0 security standard, which Microsoft says will enable users to use Windows Hello to login to websites using the correct APIs.

No mention about gesture support? MS is lost. Win 10 is as bad an experience for touch as Win8 was for desktop. This Edge is an embarrassment. Should never have been released. MS continues to release downgrades as upgrades. When Ford releases a new car, ot doesn't ask consumers to indulge them for a few years as they work out the kinks with the breaks and steering wheel. It's supposed to be a step FORWARD. The existing features aren't supposed to be dialed back.

60% of the time I try to run MS EDGE, nothing happens, other than a plain blue screen... I can kill the process and run Google Chrome with NO ISSUES... Sometimes it takes 3 to 4 reboots to Finally get MS EDGE to run... BUT 40% of the time MS EDGE will lock up after starting. I opern Task Manager, but I do not see any processes running that could cause issues with MS EDGE. Typically there are about 100 Backgrond Processes Running, but the CPU is usually at about 5 -10% - Memory at 47% - Disk at <5%

Unless you're someone like me who doesn't need extensions for anything as long as the OS or browser already offers it... Adblock? OS hosts file. Reading view? Already in Edge. Password manager? Already in the OS to some extent through optional password syncing and autocompletion with your MS account. I still think extensions are good but personally I don't need them

This could be awesome if it turns into something that developers use and is available on mobile (big ifs). I was just thinking about what MS could do with the mobile web to make the app gap less painful.

The worst thing about Edge: unlike IE 11, Edge doesn't fricken remember the last place it was open and the dimensions of the windows. Every time I open it, it opens up in full screen on the first monitor, whereas IE remember I have it sized about 1/3 of the screen, somewhat placed near the top left corner of the second monitor. It seems trivial, but it is really annoying to have to manually resize and drag the Edge window every single time I open it.

Other things it needs: 1. jump lists, 2. option to put tabs on the right of the address bar rather than on top of it, 3. a static address bar when you open up a new tab (other than the current monstrosity that appears as a search box and then magically jumps itself up to the URL box), 4. move the X-to-close from the top right to the top left when you Ctrl + F, 5. better icons (seriously, the Favorites one should not look like that).

Cortana works across your day and your devices to help you get things done. By learning more over time, Cortana becomes more personal and useful to you. Cortana’s also best at reminders, delivering them at the right time and place so you forget less and can do more.

More like Cortana gets dumber the more I use her. She used to remind me to leave for my appointment early due to traffic and time to get there, now she doesn't remind me of anything not even the appointment.

Android isn't finished. Or do you think Android 6.0 Marshmallow is the last version of Android? iOS isn't finished. Chrome isn't finished. Windows 10 isn't finished. If you want Microsoft to wait to release something until it's "finished" you'll be waiting a very long time. Edge was released when it was ready and it's been steadily improving since, which is expected of an immature web browser.

Chrome was also extremely incomplete and back then, nobody seemed to care about that. Probably because it was Google. Lots of people are actually being a little bit hypocrit when it comes to Edge claiming that it was "incomplete" on launch yet they where one of the first to jump on Chrome when it was almost litterally just an addressbar with tabs back in the early days, and it's not like extensions didn't exist back than.

It doesn't matter, they advertise it with Windows 10 and try to push it on the user while it isn't complete. It really doesn't perform any better or worse than IE but it sure uses a lot more resources. It is not a good experience which means the 200 million Windows 10 users will most likely not come back to it thinking it's the typical IE. Like they say, you only get one chance to make a good impression.

Me too. I just want them to work on the performance and the resources it uses. I counted almost 1GB of RAM on an i5 laptop(25%) with just a few new tabs opened from the news feed. And on my old PC it'd crawl to a stop with only 3 new tabs

I find that chrome running ad block, and having google bloat turned off, runs much smoother.........i don't understand why they had to get rid of the modern version of IE from W8.1.......it was the best tablet browser out there. Edge had potential, but until it can block ads, it's really a non starter